Saffron di Navelli: Risotto allo Zafferano Abruzzese

Ingredients

• 320 g Carnaroli rice
• 0.4 g Navelli saffron stigmas, bloomed in 50 ml warm stock for 20 minutes before use
• 1.2 litres chicken or light lamb stock, light and clean; kept at a bare simmer
• 50 ml warm stock, reserved for blooming saffron; not boiling
• 120 ml dry white wine
• 80 g unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes, for mantecare
• 60 g pecorino di Farindola, finely grated
• 1 small white onion, finely chopped
• 30 ml olive oil or clarified butter, for the soffritto
• 1 pinch fine sea salt, to taste
• 1 pinch ground white pepper, at the table

Method

1. 1
   Combine the saffron stigmas with 50 ml of warm — not boiling — stock in a small bowl. Leave undisturbed for 20 minutes. The liquid will turn a deep amber-gold and carry the full safranal aroma. The bloom is ready when the colour is uniform and intensely fragrant.
2. 2
   Warm the oil or clarified butter in a wide, heavy saucepan over a medium-low flame. Add the finely chopped onion and sweat without colour until completely soft and translucent, 8–10 minutes. The onion must not take any colour; it should be entirely yielding when pressed against the side of the pan.
3. 3
   Add the Carnaroli rice and toast, stirring constantly, until each grain is hot to the touch and the edge of the grain turns translucent while the white heart remains opaque — 2 minutes. This is done when a grain pressed between the fingers feels warm and offers slight resistance.
4. 4
   Pour in the white wine and stir continuously until it has been entirely absorbed and no smell of raw alcohol remains. The pan should be almost dry before the first ladle of stock is added.
5. 5
   Add the simmering stock one ladle at a time, stirring steadily and allowing each addition to be absorbed before the next. Keep the stock at a constant gentle simmer throughout. Continue for approximately 13 minutes, until the rice is approaching but has not yet reached al dente.
6. 6
   This is the step on which the dish lives or dies. In the final 5 minutes of cooking, add the bloomed saffron liquid — stigmas and all — along with a small splash of additional white wine if desired to brighten the colour. Do not add the saffron earlier: prolonged heat converts safranal to less aromatic compounds and the character of the spice is lost. Continue adding stock and stirring until the rice is just al dente and the risotto flows slowly when the pan is tilted — amber-gold, not orange.
7. 7
   Remove the pan from the heat entirely. Add the cold butter cubes and the grated pecorino di Farindola. Stir vigorously for 90 seconds — the mantecare — until the risotto is creamy and emulsified. Place the lid on the pan and rest for 2 minutes. The risotto is ready when it flows in a single slow wave — all'onda — when the pan is tilted.